The House of Commons hasn’t been sitting all week here in Ottawa but the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) has been very busy. .It has effectively become the committee on China’s election interference and on Thursday by a vote of 6 to 5 ruled Parliament must order a public inquiry into that Chinese meddling. Liberal MPs on the committee, not surprisingly, nixed the motion but the NDP and Bloc came over to the Conservative side and the entire House of Commons is expected to support the public inquiry when MPs come back from another vacation on Monday. .The motion asks that the committee “report to the House that it calls upon the Government of Canada to launch a national public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference in Canada’s democratic system including but not limited to allegations of interference in general elections by foreign governments,” and that the inquiry “investigate abuse of diaspora groups by hostile foreign governments.” .But God help the CSIS whistleblower who informed the media about China’s backdoor plots. The Trudeau government and the Canadian Intelligence Security Service (CSIS) Director David Vigneault apparently want his head on a platter. .The public inquiry needs to ensure that he or she (or they?) are protected from exposure and potential prosecution. .What this inquiry really needs to determine is what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knew about Chinese interference and when he knew it. Testimony from Privy Council Office National Security Advisor Jody Thomas confirmed that Trudeau was briefed "multiple" times about China's fetid activities. It needs to talk to Trudeau's chief of staff, Katie Telford. It must keep the inquiry focused on China and not Russia and Iran like the frenetic NDP House Leader Peter Julian has suggested — unfortunately not in jest..Leave it to the always incomprehensible Grit MP Mark Gerretsen (Lib-Kingston and the Islands) to starkly reveal how bankrupt the Trudeau government has become. “Who stands to gain the most by this circus? Is it safe to say foreign actors stand to gain by watching us question our democracy like this?” .Is it safe to say that the Liberal government has gained and will continue to gain with China rolling the dice and getting minority governments for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau? .“This is just all politics for the Conservatives,” said Gerretsen. “I don’t believe the appropriate venue is in a public forum,” he added. .The Conservatives offered a different perspective. ."What I believe is appropriate to get to the bottom of this interference by way of an inquiry is an inquiry that is targeted and focused, that can produce a report in the near future… We need answers and we need answers now," said Official Opposition MP Michael Cooper (CPC-St. Albert-Edmonton) during Thursday's hearing. .However, news bombshell for you. CSIS Director David Vigneault said Thursday that the integrity of Canada's 2019 and 2021 elections was not compromised by China. ."Based on my information and based on my experience, I would say that I concur with that conclusion,” Vigneault said. .That is quite frankly difficult to believe and Vigneault is talking like a bureaucrat who wants to keep Trudeau happy. .But here’s the real news. According to Vigneault, CSIS gets very upset when classified documents are released to the media because it makes the business of spying very difficult. ."Ultimately, such releases can hinder our ability to protect Canadians. Therefore, I would like to remind the committee that just as with other recent appearances in front of PROC and other committees here, I am limited in what we can say in an unclassified setting," he said. .How has Trudeau responded to the story? He continues to maintain that China’s actions had no bearing on the outcome of the 2021 election. He persists in insisting that it is somehow racist to demand answers about China’s determination to control Canadian elections. .Instead of championing the whistleblower who alerted the media about Chinese interference, Trudeau told reporters last month that he wants CSIS to hunt down the persons or persons who risked their jobs to tell the truth. .So stay tuned and watch how the Liberals and Justin Trudeau try to extricate themselves from this disaster by blaming everyone but themselves.
